Automatic fire-extinguisher



(No Model.)

, D. C. STILLSON.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

Patented Jan; 20 1885.

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ATENT QFFICE.

AUTOMATIC FlRE-EXTINGUISH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 311,088, dated January20, 1885.

Application filed July 10, 1884. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, DANIEL O. STILLSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlcsex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Fire-EX- tinguishers; and I do hereby declare that the sameare fully described in the following specification and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic fire-extinguishers;audit is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, where- Figure 1 represents a plan view of the invention. Fig.2 represents a sectional side elevation, and Fig. 3 represents a rearview, of the valves.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on thedifferent parts of the drawings.

A represents one of the usual sprinklerpipes, located in a suitable anddesirable part of the room in the building, and it is provided with anumber of sprinklers, a a a, held onto their seats by means of fusiblemetal in the ordinary way. The pipe on is in communication with thestand-pipe b by means of T a, as shown in Fig. 2. From a T, b, on pipe22 leads a smaller pipe, 0, to the air-pump or aircompressor cl, suchpipe 0 being provided with a suitable valve or cut-oft, a, and also witha pressure-gage, 0, located on pipe 0 between the T b and the cut-off c.

b is another T on pipe'b, to which is connected the small pipe b,thatleads to the chamber 01, that is closed at top by means of a flexiblediaphragm, d, and provided with acover, d", the flange of which isbolted to the flange of chamber 01, with the exterior edge of thediaphragm (1 held airtight between them. As a substitute for thediaphragm (2 may be used an inverted cup or a float, submerged inmercury or other liquid, if so desired. The center of diaphragm d has astem, d attached to it, the upper end of which, after projecting looselythrough a perforation or sleeve in cover (1, is hinged at e to the levere, the forward end of which is hinged at c to the link on the cover d,or in any other suitable or equivalent manner.

e is a weight suspended from rear end of lever e to cause the diaphragmd to be pressed downward when the air-pressure from below is relieved.The forward end of lever 6 ex tends beyond the link 0*, and hasconnected to it at this place a wire or rod, f, leading to the releasingmechanism on the back-pressure airvalve, as willbe further described.

G is the cut-off for the air-pressure, and H is the cut-off from theliquid-pressure. These cut-offs are located on the horizontal pipe 2',the right end of which is connected to standpipe Z), audits left end isconnected to bottom of tank or holder k, or to the main water-supplypipe, if so desired. The cut-off G has the internal valve-seat, g, ontowhich the valve 9 is normally held by mechanism applied to its valvestem 9 against the compressed air pressure in pipes a and b. The stem 9passes loosely through the top of cut-off G, without any packing at suchplace, so as to permit the valve 9 to move with the utmost freedom whenits locking mechanism is released, and to provide for an air-tightconnection at the place where the spindle or stem 9 passes through thecover of cutoff G, I provide it with an upper internal and invertedvalve-seat, against which the upper portion of the valve is forced whenacted on by thecompressed air as soon as its locking mechanism is re-.leased. The said locking mechanism is made in a similar manner to thatalready shown and described in my patent of January 4, 1881, No.236,378, and consists of bracket gfflsecured to cut-oft G, such bracketserving as a bearing-sleeve for the stem g". The valve 9 is nor.- mallyheld onto its lower seat, 9, against the air-pressure on its under sideby means of wedge-block located between the roll on the upper end ofstem and roll g on the hinged arm that is secured in place by means ofadjustable set-screw g" on bracket 9. The wedge-block g is hinged to alever, 9 located in bearings in bracket g", and provided with a weightedlever, 9, having a weight, 9 made adjustable upon it, as shown anddescribed in my aforesaid Letters Patent.

. g is the locking-pawl hinged to the bracket 9*, and having its lowerend resting against a pin or projection,-or in a notch or recess in thehub of the weighted lever g", and to enable the locking-pawl g to betripped with a minimum of frictional resistance to release it from levery, when the air-pressure in pipes a b b and chamber (1 is relieved bythe automatic opening of sprinklers a, I attach the lower end of wire fto the lever f that is hinged to the bracket 9 at f, and provided in itsother end with a roll, fibearing loosely against the locking-pawl leverg, as shown in Fig. 2, so that when air-pressure in diaphragm-chamber 01is relieved, and the weight causes the opposite end of lever e to risethat the wire f shall trip the lever f, and make its roll f to press onupper end of locking-pawl lever g, by which the weighted lever g isrelieved, and the wedge-block g withdrawn from between the rolls 9 and 9causing the valve 9 to be forced upward against its upper seat, 9", bythe influence of the spring G, located in the cut-off G below said valveby which the latter is made to close airtight against such upper seat,

G is the rock-shaft on which the weighted lever and wedge-block levergare secured, and to the rear end of such shaft is secured an additionallever, G, connected by means of wire Z to the locking-pawl lever h onthe bracket It for cut-off H, as. shown in Fig. 3. Like the cut-off G,the cut-off H has a valveseat, h, valve h, stem 71/, upper valve-seat,h", bracket 71;,wedge-block h" roll it on upper end of stem h, and rollh on the hinged arm 7L8, secured in place by means of adjustablesetscrew h on bracket h", and also the weighted lever h on shaft H, towhich latter is secured the hinged arm h in the same manner as describedrelaiive to cut-off G.

h is the weight on lever W, and 7b is the locking-pawl to hold saidlever locked until released by the releasing mechanism on cut-off G andconnecting-wire Z.

H is the spring below valve h, corresponding in location, action, andpurpose to the spring G in cut-off G.

On pipe 6, between the cut-offs G and H, is located the petcock m, forthe purpose of ascertaining from time to time if the apparatus is in itsnormal couditionthat is, containing airin pipe i between cut-offs G andH.

n is another petcock located on pipe 6, between cut-off H and tank is,containing the fire-extinguishing liquid K, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the apparatus is in working order, by opening the petcock nliquidshould come out at this place, and by trying the said peteocks m and nfrom time to time the proper condition of the apparatus may beascertained. The vessel k is a closed one, and its upper part, k, servesas an air-pressure chamber, in which air is compressed from a suitableaircompressor connected to pipe 7;, that is provided with a stop-cock,76*, which is closed after the desired pressure is obtained in vessel k,which may be ascertained by looking at the pressuregage attached toupper end of vessel It. 1

Thevessel 7c is shown in the drawings as a closed one, and thefire-extinguishing liquid compressed within it; but, if so desired, anopen tank or receptacle may be employed and located at any desiredheight above the sprinklers a a, so as to obtain the desired pressure toforce the liquid out through the sprinklers without the need ofcompressing the liquidin a closed vessel.

Vhere water is to be used for extinguishing the fire, the vessel is isdispensed with and the cut-off H connected directly to the water-supplypipe from the street or otherwise.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The valves 9 and h arelocked against their lower seats, 9 h, by raising the weightedlevers g.and h, and locked in positions by means of pawls g and h, as usual. Theair within the pipes a b b, that portion of pipe 6 between cut-off G andpipe I), as well as the diaphragmcharnber d, is compressed by means ofthe aircompressor (1 and its pipe 0 until the diaphragm or float d israised sufficiently to hold the weighted lever e in its normal position,(shown in Fig. 2,) after which the cut-off 0 on pipe 0 is closed. Thepressure necessary for this purpose need not amount to more than fourpounds to the square inch, and considerable lcss will suffice. Bothvalves 9 and h are now held onto their respective seats against pressurefrom below, air pressure on the former and liquid-pressure on the latter. If a fire takes place in the room, when the heat reaches themelting-point of the fusi ble metals on sprinklers aa, the latter areantomaticall y opened, as usual, allowing the com- I )ressed air in )iaes a b b as well as in chamber 1 7 d, to escape, causing the diaphragmor float d to be pressed down by the influence of weight 6* on lever e,which pulls wiref upward, and in so doing causes lever f to act onlockingpawl g and to release lever g, which is then swung downward bythe influence of weight and in so doing withdraws the wedge-block frombetween rolls g and thereby liberates the valve g from its lower seat,9, and it is automatically forced upward against its upper seat, 9 bythe influence of the lower pressure-spring, G, at the same time as theIIC wedge-block If is acted on by the connectingin wire Z to liberatethe valve h and to force it upward against its upper seat, h by theinfluence of pressure-spring H, allowing the fireextinguishing liquid Kto be forced through pipe 2', cut-offs G H, pipes b and a, and outthrough the now open sprinklers a a. By having the diaphragm d of propersize a very small air-pressure is required to operate the releasingmechanism, and consequently the fusible metal on caps or sprinklers a ahas only a very slight pressure to withstand while the apparatus is inits normal condition. By having the two cut-offs on pipe z, onereceiving the slight air-pressure on the under side of its valve 9, andthe other receiving the liquid-pressure on the under side of its valveh, and both cut-offs having their valve-releasing mechanism connectedtogether and operated together, so as to be released at the same time,great accuracy and efficaey in the operation of the apparatus iseffected.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction,and operation of myinvention,I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim- 1. In anautomatic fire-extinguisher, the combination of cut-offs G and H, eachprovided with a stem-valve and a spring acting on the valve from below,a holding and releasing mechanism acting on each valve-stem, comprisinga weighted lever having a block'acting on the valve-stem connectedtherewith, a pawl to lock said weighted lever, the pawls of the twolevers being connected together, a lever to bear against one of saidpawls, apneumaticactuated releaser connected with the latter lever, aliquid-supply pipe connected with one of said cut-offs below its valve,an air-supply pipe connected with the other cut-off below its valve, anda fusible sprinkler having a connection with said air-supply pipe,substantially as described.

2. In afire-extinguisher, the combination of cut-off G, provided with astern-valve and a spring for acting on the same from below, a weightedlever provided with a block, 9 to act on the valve-stem, and a pawl toact on said lever, substantially as described.

In an automatic fireextinguisher, the combination of air-supply pipe I),a liquidsupply reservoir, horizontal pipe 2', communicating with boththe air-supply pipe and liquidsupply reservoir, cut-offs Gand H,connected with pipe i, and provided, respectively, withpressure-regulated valves h, and constructed, substantially asdescribed, to permit an airpressure on the under side of the valve and ap liquid-pressure on the under side of the other, a petcock, m, on pipei, between the two outoffs, and a petcoek, n, between one cut-0E and theliquid-supply reservoir, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic fireextinguisher, the combination of the cut-off G,provided with the stem-valve gand spring G, acting on the same frombelow, the weighted lever having the block 9 connected therewith to acton the stem of the valve, the pawl g, to bear against the weightedlever, the pivoted lever f to release the pawl, the pneumatic releaserprovided with a lever, e, and a connection, f, between said lever andthe pawl-releasing lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

DANIEL STILLSON.

\Vi tnesses:

ALBAN ANDREN, HENRY CHADBOURN.

